By Shamindra Ferdinando

The Women’s Affairs Ministry plans to explore the possibility of legalising abortions on a selective basis, a senior ministry official said yesterday while expressing the belief that they would be able to convince the opposition and religious groups of the necessity.

The ministry held talks with several experts including a senior family planning official in this regard late last month, the official said. "The experts were supportive of the proposal," the source said while pointing out that two of the seven-nation SAARC had legalised abortions. India and Bangladesh have legalised abortions and there was nothing wrong in Sri Lanka permitting abortions on a selective basis, the official said.

The spokesperson explained that their proposal would be very much similar to the one proposed by the previous government in 1995.

"We are hoping to introduce amendments to the Penal Code to permit abortions on a selective basis," the source said adding that they intend to hold talks with interested parties within the next few weeks with a view to ironing out their differences over the issue. "We will not rush," the official said while expressing confidence the opposition would not oppose because the plan was basically theirs.

The then Justice Minister Professor G. L. Peiris proposed amendments to the Penal Code. He was forced to withdraw them after the then opposition fiercely opposed the move.

A senior Justice Ministry official yesterday said that they have not taken a policy decision. However, the Women’s Affairs Ministry was having discussions with a view to reviving the previous government’s plan to introduce amendments to the Penal Code.

Women’s Affairs Ministry sources said that the UN too has expressed concern over Sri Lanka’s failure to legalise abortions.

Some women have died as a result of complications caused by abortions performed by quack doctors, the sources said adding that there was a need to amend the existing law with a view to allowing victims of rape, incest and women facing serious medical complications to have abortions.

Former minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle tendered a private members motion when he was a MP calling for legalising abortions.

Fernandopulle was on record as saying that he fully supports proposals to legalise abortions. He said that it was wrong to believe that only unmarried women seek abortions. The former minister, married to a doctor, said that it was stupid not to legalise abortions when hundreds of abortions were taking place daily. He was among several other PA MPs who supported the amendments to the Penal Code.

Responding to questions, Women’s Affairs Minister Mrs. Amara Piyaseeli Ratnayake yesterday said that the issue was under discussion. She declined to go into details.